(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rental system for renting digital works to users.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Rental services of recording mediums, such as DVDs and VHS tapes, storing prerecorded movies or music have been a thriving business, and the market therefore is large and still growing.
In the case of renting VHS tapes, a VHS tape will eventually become unusable in rental services due to wear and tear on the tape that occurs after the tape is rented a certain number of times. On the contrary, in the case of renting digital recording mediums such as DVDs, the prerecorded information is in digital form, so that such a recording medium is usable semi-permanently.
Providers who provide those prerecorded recording mediums storing a digital work, such as a movie or music, demand that usage of a digital recording medium, such as a DVD, be restricted so as to prohibit semi-permanent usage of the digital work recorded thereon.